Turkey Hunting is like the Missouri Weather

22 lbs – 1 inch spur – 9″ beard

Everyone here in Missouri knows how predictable our weather is.  This spring’s been a good example – 75 degrees one  day, 40 degrees the next.  Well that’s exactly how turkey hunting can be and this Saturday really drove that point home.  I had hunted every morning this past week.  Monday & Tuesday I hunted back up in north MO with family and I heard some gobbling and took part in the successful hunt with dad.  From Wednesday on, I hunted down here in southwest MO and had heard no more that 4 gobbles all 3 days combined and all of those were a long way off.  Those woods seemed as vacant as an auditorium waiting on our current congress to speak on fiscal responsibility. 

To be completely honest I almost didn’t go out Saturday.  I woke up at the usual 5am and I felt like I had been run over and then drug for awhile.  But like most of us that have the fever this time of year, I decided I’d go ahead and give it a try. 

I was in the woods 15 minutes later just waiting for them to come alive.  I started hooting and nothing…  I did this a few times and quit for a bit.  At about 5:45 I hooted once more and one gobbled about 200 yrds away.  From that moment on that Tom gobbled his head off.  I began clucking and giving a few tree yelps and cuts – all of which were answered with a booming gobble.  I was able to sneak another fifty yards in his direction as I knew that on the back side of him was a pasture that could be hard to pull him out of.  At about 6:10 the bird flew down back out into the pasture behind him.  I hurredly snuck his direction as there was now a ridge between us with him on the ground.  As soon as I set up I gave a few yelps and purrs.  Ol Tom was glad I had come closer his direction and he was hot.  A few more cuts and he had split the difference, heading back up into the woods where I waited.  I dropped my call and readied my gun.  I saw him at about 35 yrds and as he went behind a big oak, I got all braced up.  At about 25yrds he let out another thundering gobble and the game was over just like that – it was 6:20 am. 

It was a great hunt that couldn’t have worked more perfectly.  It’s amazing how much this bird gobbled after 3 days of basic silence in the woods.  So if you wake up in the morning and feel like something’s been chewing on your head all night, just shake it off, grow a pair and get out into them woods.  You just never know what’s going to happen when that sun starts splitting the sky!